Adjustment Period
by McRaider
Summary: Ben has just gotten custody of ten year old Riley Poole, when someone appears to be out to get the older man. Now they must deal with the fallout, from Patrick Gates, and most of all, learning how to be father and son.
1. Chapter 1

**Adjustment Periods  
McRaider**  
**Summary**: Ben has just gotten custody of ten year old Riley Poole, when someone appears to be out to get the older man. Now they must deal with the fallout, from Patrick Gates, and most of all, learning how to be father and son.  
**Author's Note**: This is the sequel to A Boy Named Riley, which I've clearly decided needs to be a series of some sort. If you haven't read that story…you'll probably want to.  
**Dedication**: To all the children, like Riley out there, someone does love you, whether you know it yet or not. There's always hope. To people like Ben, and my grandparents. Thank you for taking a child into your home that you never had to accept and giving them a home. May there be many like you forever.  
**Rated**: PG-13 (language mostly)

**Chapter One**

Ben and Riley pushed the doorway open to the school building, Riley grinning from ear to ear as he gripped his toy before him. "And it was the tallest and the fastest-"

Ben chuckled as Riley talked his ear off about their robot, which was currently nestled in his arms. "Wasn't it cool Ben! Did you see how fast it went!"

"Of course I did, I was there," joked Ben as he ran his hand over the boy's hair. "Hey, come here," Ben pulled the boy's sleeve lightly. "Kneeling down in front of his kid he straightened Riley's collar, "I'm really proud of you kid."

"Thanks!"

Ben walked to the car, his arm wrapped around the boy's shoulder. There was a faint pop somewhere in the distance. Ben grunted as he opened the door. He glanced down at his stomach, where are dark red spot was beginning to grow.

"Ben?" Riley questioned.

Ben's face was contorted in pain as he gripped the spot, "Riley," he whimpered as he crumpled to the ground.

"DAD!" Riley cried as he rushed to his father's side. "HELP DAD! SOMEONE CALL 911!" He screamed, his robot and first prize forgotten as he knelt at his father's side. "HELP!" He sobbed.

Ben lay, his eyes wide open as pain tore through his stomach and side, his thoughts only of his son and if he was safe. He could vaguely hear people calling for help, people screaming around him as his eyes closed.

**o0o**

The loss of a parent, in any form is terrifying, as Riley Poole sat in the waiting room, alone, drenched in his father's blood, he never felt this more than ever. He'd felt pain, he'd felt sadness beyond belief, and he'd felt fear. This seemed to surpass all of those emotions; he sat as if his world had slowed down as everyone moved by him in a slow motion, no one letting him see his Ben, no one allowing him any news, and no one comforting him. A ten year old in an adult world sat forgotten in the corner.

Emily had received the frantic and panicked phone call from her grandson, and immediately was in a change of clothes, on her way to the DC memorial hospital. She hadn't been able to get much out of him. She'd never heard the child sound so terrified in all the time she'd known him.

At some point she'd started to think about her world in minutes. Five minutes to throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, to ward off the chilly October air. Ten minutes to get to the freeway that would lead her to the hospital. Thirty minutes to drive there…totally to forty-five minutes of her son's life, and how much of that would be his final moments.

In a blind and concerned panic she'd called Patrick Gates, the man Ben rarely spoke to anymore. In hopes that maybe if something went bad tonight they'd find away to put the pieces of their lives and the life of Riley back together. Patrick was closer; he would arrive probably ten minutes before she did. She suddenly cursed them living in DC still and not in Maryland.

All Emily could think as she pulled into the parking lot is that no parent should have to say goodbye to their child. And no child should truly have to say goodbye to a parent. She hated death, and this was why. It was hard.

She hurried into the Emergency room exit, towards the nurses' station, when she saw him. The man she hadn't seen for nearly twenty-eight years, standing there. "Emily, where is he?" Patrick demanded.

"How should I know, Patrick, I just got here," She all but hissed at him, "My name is Emily Appleton, I'm looking for my son…Benjamin Gates, is he here, is he okay?"

The nurse, a pretty young black woman glanced down at her papers and then smiled shortly to her. "He's in the ER right now; someone will be out to speak with you shortly, if you'd just wait over in one of those chairs."

"Can't you tell us anything?" Patrick demanded.

She shook her head slowly, "I'm so sorry, I really can't. But-"

Emily's eyes lit up, suddenly remembering the most important thing, "A boy, a boy would've come in with him, is he hurt, what about-"

"Last I saw him he was sitting over there in the corner…" Emily's eyes followed the nurse's finger and she spotted a very small figure in the far corner, sitting in the angled corner, completely curled in on himself.

"Oh Riley," she whispered as she forced her purse into Patrick's arms. "Riley, sweetheart," she spoke as she hurried over to her grandson. Blue eyes shot up at his name, and Emily watched as those eyes went from utter relief to complete misery.

Emily reached him in several strides, she placed her hands under his arms and with practiced ease, she lifted him into his arms, uncaring of the blood she knew belonged to her child. "Oh baby," she whispered, holding him close as he broke down in her arms. She held him close as she sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, rocking him back and forth. "I'm here now, I'm here," she pressed a kiss to his forehead, well aware her own eyes were damp at the thought of losing her son.

"Em-" Patrick began.

Emily looked up at her ex-husband, "Now is hardly the time for introductions, take a seat and I'll tell you all about it later." Not that she'd even know where to begin. How could she possible explain a ten year old into existence?

So the three sat there, for what felt like an eternity, no one speaking, the only sounds were those of a child weeping over a father he'd only just gotten. At some point, Emily was aware that Riley's breathing had evened out, he'd cried himself asleep. Probably for the best, she did notice, however, that his breathing seemed more labored than usual, she made a note of it in the back of her mind and looked at the clock, they'd been there for an hour already.

Just as she was thinking of getting up and asking the nurse again, a man with dirty scrubs came into the waiting room and looked around. He glanced down at his chart and spoke the words they were all dying to hear. "Gates?"

"That's us," Emily spoke up immediately as she lifted the child into her arms, he stirred at the moment, but gave no sign of waking. Patrick followed Emily's actions and stood, making their way to the doctor.

"I'm Doctor David Eccles."

She smiled warmly, at least if he was greeting them Ben wasn't likely dead. "Emily Appleton, this is Riley Poole and-"

"Patrick Gates," Patrick stated, still not sure what had even occurred.

Dr. Eccles nodded, "Right then, shall we talk in the consultation room," He led them to a small room off to the side of the waiting room. He allowed the three to enter the room, by now Riley was alert and had scooted off Emily's lap and was sitting in his own chair. Dr. Eccles closed the door.

"Right then, if you're Riley, I should say thank you."

Riley looked up at the doctor, "Huh?"

"You applied pressure to your father's wound, you probably saved his life."

The child smiled slightly, "So he's alive?"

"Yes, very much so. He's in rough shape, and he's going to be very tired for awhile, so no rough housing with him, okay?"

Riley nodded very slowly, as if suddenly afraid he'd break Ben. Emily reached out and gently patted Riley's knee. "How is he?"

"Well as far as we can tell he was shot in the back, and the bullet came out the other end. Luckily, it appears the bullet was rapidly descending, because it missed both his kidneys and liver. It did however manage to knick his stomach and his colon. He's in surgery right now getting the internal bleeding repaired and controlled. I'm not willing to say he's completely out of the woods, but he's certainly better off than it could've been."

"Thank God," Whispered Emily as she buried her face in her hands, and breathed a deep sigh of relief, the past three hours catching up with her.

Riley looked at Emily and reached out, hugging her arm. She looked older in only moments, he felt sad that she had worried about them so deeply. "When can we see him?" Patrick asked, drawing their attention back to the doctor.

Dr. Eccles nodded, "Well, the surgery should take about an hour to two; I'd like to take Riley here up to the pediatric wing and get him a change of clothes, maybe a shower? How about you two go get a cup of coffee?"

Riley glanced nervously from Emily to the doctor. Emily sighed, "Could I come with you?" She questioned.

Dr. Eccles smiled, "Of course, I'm sorry, I should know better than to be presumptuous, Come on then."

Patrick looked at the boy, still unsure about his story; all the same he looked at his ex-wife. "I'll meet you back up here in an hour."

Riley walked hand in hand with Emily, following the doctor to the pediatric wing, "He seems grumpy."

Emily chuckled softly, "He always has been. Don't worry though; once he gets to know you I'm sure he'll love you."

Riley shot a look over his shoulder, "Doubt it."

Dr. Eccles stopped at a door, pushed it open and returned a moment later with a pair of sweat pants and a small scrub top, "It's not much, but we try and keep several pairs for kids when they come in. it makes them a little less…"

"Scared," Riley offered.

"Exactly, anyway this is the bathroom," he knocked on the door next to it, then pushed the door open. "Your grandma is welcome to stand here and wait, would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you," Emily offered, "If you want to actually shower sweetheart, I'll be right here."

Riley nodded, "Kay."

Emily stood in front of the door and smiled as a few kids walked back; she looked at them, and then glanced at the door. In just a few short months Riley had weaseled his way into both hers and Ben's heart. It was clear he was meant to be a part of this family, even if he wasn't fully prepared to admit at all times. They'd received word earlier this month that Danny, Riley's former foster brother, had been sent to Juvenile prison for raping another little boy and a girl as well. He would serve at least a fifteen year sentence.

Emily remembered Ben stating that the boy wouldn't do well in the adult prison. He was tried as an adult, and while they couldn't immediately place him in the adult prison, within three years he'd be living in the federal penitentiary. Just a couple days ago, Ben had told her that Riley's father was coming up on his trial shortly and would likely face a life sentence in prison several crimes he'd committed.

It seemed as though, just when life was going right, something went wrong. She jumped slightly as the door opened and she saw Riley's damp head of hair peek outside, "Sorry," He whispered.

"What on earth for?"

"You jumped."

She shook her head, "Riley you are a silly little boy. Are you finished?"

He smiled and nodded. "Do I get to see Ben soon?"

Emily ran a hand through his hair in effort to straighten it out slightly, but realizing the attempt was useless, his hair was something of its own creation. "I hope so. Come on then, let's get you something to eat."

**o0o**

Dr. Eccles ushered them into the ICU room almost twenty minutes later, "It's past visiting hours at this point, but one of you can stay here."

"I'll do-" Patrick began.

"Nonsense, Riley is his son. Riley sweetheart, do you think you can just sleep right over that on that couch and stay out of the way?" She knew she was asking a dumb question, this boy was the master of staying out of the way.

"He's what!" Patrick boomed.

"Patrick, we're not doing this now. Dr. Eccles, it's been a long night, and I'd love to take Riley home, but I know he'll do far better here-as will Benjamin, if he sleeps here tonight."

Dr. Eccles looked at the little boy, "I think I can convince the nursing staff to let him stay here. But Rile you have to stay very quiet okay?"

Riley resisted the urge to remind them all he was ten now, but he simply nodded. "Promise."

"Right then, I'll call you both if there's a change of any sort, and visiting hours start back up at eight." Without another word he headed over to the nurses station.

Emily stepped into the ICU and looked down at her son, he wasn't hooked up to ventilator or anything, so he was clearly breathing on his own, he had some IVs and a heart monitor, but beyond that he appeared to be okay. He was just pale…pale and so very still. She reached down, gently stroking his cheek, "Don't keep us waiting long Benjamin, there's very anxious boy, and mother to see your beautiful eyes."

Pressing a kiss to her son's forehead, she looked down at Riley, "Right then, leavin' you in charge. You've got to be the man for a little while now. Take care of Ben for me."

Riley grinned from ear to ear, "I can do that."

She nodded, "I know sweetheart," she kissed his head, "Sleep well."

Patrick glanced between Riley and then Ben, before he stalked out of the room. Riley looked around the room, gauging where all the machines were, he then pushed a chair over to the bedside and stood on top of it carefully, he looked back at the various wires, then with ease and care he climbed onto the bed, curling right against Ben's unconscious side. "I'll protect you, dad."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

When Emily entered the ICU the following morning, she felt her heartstrings pull, as well as relief flood her body. Ben was sitting up, albeit barely, and curled up beside him was Riley, looking tiny compared to the rest of the world. She entered the room, immediately moving towards her son. "Hi mom," he whispered as he gave her a one armed hug, grunting slightly at the pull on his side.

"How long has he been there?"

"Well I woke up about an hour ago when they brought in my food tray and according to them, he's been like this since last night. Is he okay?"

Emily shook her head. "Benjamin Franklin Gates, you just got shot, could you take five minutes to care about yourself," she berated him slightly. "He's fine, scared and will probably have some nightmares, but he seems to be okay."

"Good, I can only imagine how terrified he was, scared the hell out of me too."

"What happened?"

"I might have an answer to that," a voice from behind them spoke. They turned and saw Officer Frank Smith standing there, "Andrew Poole was being moved yesterday morning from the jail to the courthouse, when he managed to escape. From what we can tell he got his hands on a gun and had it in for you Ben."

"Where is he now?" Ben asked, suddenly terrified for his child.

"Dead."

"Dead?" Emily spoke.

Frank nodded, "We found him right after he shot you, Ben. We attempted to apprehend him, but when he would stop, one of the FBI agents on the case-an agent Sadusky shot him. Don't get me wrong, I hate to see a human life wasted, but it certainly saved us all the time and money. He's dead now. I've already identified him to make sure."

"Thank you," Ben said softly.

"Yeah well, I did the easy part; you have to tell the kid. You doin' okay?"

"The doctors seem to think I'll make a nice recovery, at least that's what a nurse told me. Ask me in a few hours when they've pumped me with some more painkillers."

Frank chuckled, "I hear ya. Listen, I've got to get to the station, I just thought I'd stop by and let you know what happened. And tell you how glad I am that Andrew didn't aim for Riley."

"Why?"

"We say the angle he shot from, he'd have hit the kid dead between the eyes, but he missed him because you were in the way."

Ben looked down at his son, suddenly aware they could be mourning the loss of a child, rather than celebrating his life. "Thank God."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I'll stop by later Ben."

Just as Frank left the boy beside Ben began to moan and whimper. Ben reached down with his good arm and rubbed the boy's back. "I'm here kiddo, I'm here." He ran his hands through the mop of hair on top of the kid's head.

Blue eyes slowly fluttered open. "Ben?"

"Hey there kiddo," Ben smiled, "Don't move too much, I'm still really sore."

"Am I hurting you?"

"Not at all. Sleep well?"

Riley rubbed his eyes and looked around, "Not really. You okay?"

Ben chuckled softly, "I'll be fine." He looked back at Emily, "So when can I get out of here?"

"Whenever the doctor says you can and not a moment before," Emily stated.

Just then the door opened and Dr. Eccles stepped into the room, "Well good morning, I'm beginning to think you're a superhero Mr. Gates, most people don't wake up this quickly after a gunshot wound."

Ben chuckled, "Just your average guy."

"Yeah right. Anyway, we'll move you out of the ICU later this afternoon, we only kept you here to watch you after the surgery. We'll just keep an eye on your vitals a few more hours then move you down."

"And I'll be going home?" Ben asked.

Dr. Eccles chuckled, "Why is it nobody wants to stay very long, starts to make doctors feel unloved."

Riley chuckled slightly, "He likes me."

Ben smirked. "He's a foolish little boy," he joked and ruffled Riley's hair. "Seriously though?"

"If you continue to improve I'd say four days. We'll keep an eye on you. Is there anything you all need now?"

"I think we're good."

Emily took a seat on the couch, smiling as she watched Ben and Riley interact a little. She'd spent every Sunday with them since the hearing, and Riley had only grown more and more talkative. Overall, he was a very shy boy, painfully so around people he didn't know. But when it came to Ben, he was open and happy to talk.

They were enjoying one another's company when the door opened again, this time Patrick Gates stood there. Ben looked up and felt his lungs catch in his chest for a moment. "Dad," he whispered.

"Hello son," Patrick stated, looking at Ben as well as the boy. "Should he really be sitting there? You could pull something out."

Riley looked up at Ben and slowly began to squirm, wanting to get away from the possibility of ever hurting Ben. "He's fine dad," Ben replied, keeping an arm wrapped around the boy's stomach.

"So you have a son now, do you, so was it some girl you met ten years ago or did you just pick some kid off the streets to help you find the treasure?"

Ben was stunned at that question, he hadn't seen his father in almost a year, but the pain of the last argument they'd had was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't help but desperately miss his grandfather. He'd been a man that Patrick always could've been, but seemed to resent.

"Patrick!" Emily stood up and all but shoved Patrick out of the room, their argument immediately starting up. Ben felt his cheeks redden as he listened to his mother yell at his father. Memories from his child swimming around his mind.

"Ben?" Riley's voice snapped him out of his reprieve.

Ben looked down at Riley and forced a smile, "Want to know what makes me feel like you do when you get yelled at?"

"What?"

Ben sighed, wanting desperately to shut his parents up, "Those two arguing."

"Do they do it a lot?"

"No, because for the past twenty odd years they haven't even spoken."

Riley looked up, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Ben looked down at the boy, "What on earth for?"

"It's my fault, isn't it, that they're here."

Ben shook his head, "No son, they're together because I was injured and they felt the need to make sure I was okay."

Riley listened for a few moments, suddenly glad he was in here with Ben; though he could tell from the look of the older man, that he wasn't handling it well. Riley suddenly felt closer than ever to Ben, realizing that while he at least had parents, his family was as mutually messed up as most families. "Why is your dad so angry?"

"He's bitter, Riley. That's what bitterness looks like. Years worth of searching for a treasure that he's convinced himself doesn't exist. He's bitter from being mocked by his peers, bitter that his son is still trying to find something he believes isn't real, and most of all he's bitter because his father died utterly disappointed in him. That Gates family legacy…fathers eternally disappointing sons."

"But not us…right? We're gonna be different."

Smiling, Ben pulled the boy close and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "We're going to be very different, and we're going to find the treasure."

Riley grinned, believing Ben, he leaned against the man's chest as they sat there together. "Why did they get married…if they're so mad?"

"I don't know kid, I really don't know."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please forgive me! Believe it or not this whole story is written AND finished! But it's been so flippin' crazy with work and then other muse things that I forgot to update, I promise to try and do better so that you don't have as long a wait between chapters! Please Enjoy and thanks for all the reviews and support

**Chapter Three **

Patrick Gates didn't return for the remainder of the time that Ben was in the hospital. Ben wanted to say he was pleased; to not have the man hanging around, but a part of Ben wanted to make amends. He knew his father's standing on the treasure however, and with his determination larger than ever, Ben knew that wasn't likely to happen.

"I'm just saying I think you should stay at my place for awhile, it closer to Riley's school-"

Ben sighed for the last time, his stitches would be tender for two more weeks, he'd be stiff for awhile, but he'd slowly get back to normal. He watched as Riley packed some last minute things up, and looked at his father. "We'll be fine mom."

"And what do you two know about injuries like this. Ben, I'll only worry about you more if-"

Ben was half an inch from losing it, he was tired, and he was worried about having to tell Riley the truth about his father, and on top of all of that, he was still upset about his father. "Mom, please. Okay, I'm exhausted. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed, eat my own food and watch my own TV. Riley and I can manage. He's got all the directions from the doctor-" as if on cue the boy held up a paper with a list of instructions. "We're going to be fine. Please."

Emily looked from father to son and sighed, "I'm calling every night."

"Fine."

"Twice if I feel something is off."

"Okay."

She eyeballed the two, then sighed, "Further proof you're my son, first damn man to ever beat me in an argument." With that she headed out of the room.

Ben smirked, and he looked down at his son, "You ready?"

"Yeah." He followed his father out as the nurse came in with the wheelchair. Ben obliginly got in it, and together they followed Emily to the car. "She seems upset," Riley whispered.

Ben smiled, "Probably because she's worried about us."

"Why us?"

"Well, because I'm her son and I just got shot, and because you just saw me get shot. She's probably imagining some overly melodramatic moment where we sit and cry."

Riley looked at Ben for a long moment, "I'm having nightmares again," Riley offered quietly.

"I know." Ben offered with ease, "Me too."

It was simple, but Riley realized that Ben was human too, and not some superhuman who went through life without a single issue. Riley looked over at his new father and grinned. Ben must have noticed because he reached out, luckily making sure not to hurt anyone in the process, and pulled Riley onto his lap. Ben, despite his best efforts, had not won the dirving himself home argument. Emily would drop them off at the apartment. Ben knew he couldn't win it all.

They arrived home within an hours-mostly because Emily seemed to equate the speed of the car with how quickly Ben's stitches would tear if she hit a bump. He didn't bother trying to argue with her. When they got to the apartment, Riley got out of the car and opened the door for Ben, he grabbed Ben's bag and reached out to help his father out of the car. "Thanks mom," Ben offered as he closed the car door, draping an arm around Riley's shoulders for some support.

"You okay?" Riley questioned.

Ben nodded slowly, "Just get me upstairs and on the couch and I'll be perfectly content."

Riley chuckled, and with a little extra time they managed to get up the stairs, Riley unlocked the door and watched as Ben all but shuffled into the living room, where he carefully dropped himself onto the couch. "I'll just sleep here for a little while." Ben joked.

"Would your bed be more comfy?"

Ben lifted his head slightly, "Probably, but I can't make it that far right now."

"I'll go unpack-"

"Actually, kid come here."

Riley, unsure what was going on, took a seat on the coffee table in front of the couch, looking at Ben. "Did I do somethin'?"

Ben smiled, "No, no you didn't. Listen Riley, when you were asleep, right after I woke up…Officer Smith came in and talked to grandma and me about what happened when I was shot."

"Okay…"

The treasure hunter groaned, unsure how to break it to a kid that the father he never liked was dead. "Riley-your father…he escaped the morning of the science fair project…It seems he was either out to kill you me…or maybe even both of us, we're not sure."

"Is…is he still out there?"

"No…Riley, your father is dead." There, he'd said it. But somehow he felt horrible now that it was out there. "Right after…well right after he got me…they managed to catch him, and one of the FBI agents killed him. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Riley shrugged.

"I know its hard son-wait what?"

Riley smiled, "Its fine. He won't bother us anymore," Without another word, Riley shrugged and headed down the hallway.

Ben felt like he'd just been dropped from the top of a fifty foot cliff and landed on pillows. He'd expected something more, anything more. He's expected Riley to be upset, to cry or anything other than just acting nonchlant. Even ben felt the sting of a human life ending, even if the life hadn't been useful or especially caring; it was still a human life.

Somewhere between the pain, and the conundrum he was now faced with, Ben fell asleep. Unaware that the boy he now called son, was hurting in an utterly different way.

Riley stepped into his bedroom and closed the door leaning against it. He looked around at all his toys, his painted walls, his Star Wars bedspread, and slowly, he collasped down the door into a heap on the floor. His face was controted in pain as he began to cry, drops occasionally, which soon turned into a small river flowing down his face as he sobbed. For the second time in a week, he cried over a parent lost…only this time he wasn't getting the parent back.

**o0o**

Ben awoke with a jerk, grimacing as pain lanced through his side. He looked around to find the sun had long since decended, leaving the apartment pitch black. Groaning, Ben gripped his still tender side, feeling the stitches pull; he sat up, and leaned against the back of the couch. "Getting shot sucks," he mumbled to no one. He glanced down at the coffee table at all the treasure findings from recently.

Even in the dark it looked inticing, he'd been so busy with Riley lately, that he couldn't even remember the last time he'd actually looked for anythign to do with the treasure. Still gripping his side, he slowly pushed himself to his legs, feeling akin to what a woman probably felt like super pregnant.

He flicked a light on in the living room and shuffled down the hallway towards the bathroom. Releasing himself, he washed his hands and headed down the hall, deciding to look in on Riley before he went to sleep for the night. His mind still swirled around the idea that Riley had barely even reacted to the death of his father. Shaking his head, he couldn't quite shake the feeling Riley was hiding some deeper problem.

He gripped the door knob, but found it harder to push than usual, still pushing he managed to peak his head in and found Riley lying on the floor right in front of the door. "For cryin' out loud," Ben muttered as he gently pushed the boy further so he could slip inside the room.

Under normal circumstances, Ben wouldn't hesitate to lift the child up and put him into the bed, but with stitches in his back and front, there was no way he could do that without causing a lot of pain and possibly another trip to the hospital. Shaking his head Ben moved to the bed and grabbed a pillow and the comforter off the bed. "Sorry, kiddo, bad day to sleep on the floor." Ben shuffled back over to the kid and draped the blanket over his shoulders, he managed to kneel down and slip the pillow under the boy's head. "Sleep tight son."

He managed to push himself up off the floor and make his way slowly to his own bedroom. He decided that sleeping his sweat pants was tolerable and he stripped his shirt off, slid under the covers closed his eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Ben sat at his desk nearly a week later, he was fairly sure the doctors wouldn't approve of him being back at work, but he'd been going crazy in the apartment all day. So after getting permission from the college, he'd been allowed back in his office.

He found he was unable to get any work done, because every time he started trying to work, his mind would wander to Riley. The boy had been distant lately, more so than usual and Ben was beginning to get concern. The boy already seemed to struggle with social norms on a daily basis, but suddenly he seemed completely silent to the world around him.

Ben jumped as the phone rang on his desk. He glanced around, realizing the phone was buried under paperwork for the treasure. He moved a couple things, wincing as his side pulled slightly. Finally, he discovered the phone and answered, "Gates."

"Mr. Benjamin Gates?"

Ben sighed, figuring that he'd made that perfectly clear, "That would be me."

"This is Linda Thompson, from Maryland Academy, your son Riley is attending school here."

Ben felt his stomach drop, "Is he all right, has something happened?"

She took a slow deep breath, "Your son was involved in a tussle, he and the other boy are fine, but we would like to see you about this."

From dropping to rolling, Ben took a slow deep breath. "I'll be there in twenty-minutes," he muttered. Hanging up the phone, Ben spent the next several minutes preparing to leave. He finally managed to get into his car and head to the Academy. All the while, he was wondering what got into Riley that the boy would ever consider hitting someone. Ben could understand if he'd lashed out in the past, but up until now Riley had never been in a physical fight, at least not that Ben had seen in his file.

He would do everything in his power not to get upset, not to yell at the boy, but his anger raised more and more the closer he got. Why would he fight, had he been provoked, was he trying to get thrown out of school?

He arrived at the school, thankfully several minutes after it had let out, so for the most part the school was empty. He stepped into the main office where he saw Riley Poole sitting in a chair, with a wad of paper towels stuck to a very bruised nose and sporting what would no doubt be quite the shiner. It also looked like he had a split lip, but Ben couldn't tell under the wad of towel. "Tell me the other kid looks a little worse?"

Just then another boy, sporting only a black eye, walked out, he glared at Riley before leaving the office, his mother walking behind him. Ben sighed as he looked down at the kid. Ben opened his mouth to speak when Headmaster Thompson stepped out from her office. "Mr. Gates, a word please?"

Ben sighed and looked at Riley, giving the boy a pointed glare, as though to say stay. He headed into the office, taking a seat as Headmaster Thompson closed the office door. "Linda-"

The woman held up her hand, "Ben, when you brought me Riley Poole's file you made it very clear he wouldn't cause any trouble. I've had enough experiences with kids like Riley-"

"What's that supposed to mean!" Ben was getting tired of people constantly assuming that the kid was bad news.

Linda looked at him, "Come on, Ben, you know exactly what I mean. Kids from the streets never fare as well here as kids brought up in wealth. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I've known your family for years, Emily always makes donations, I figured I'll go out on a limb here. You promised me, Ben that this kid wouldn't start riots in my school."

"One fight is hardly a riot."

"Ben there were four kids beating up on one-Riley, all because he provoked the fight."

Ben stood, wincing as his wound pulled, "You don't see something wrong with that picture?"

She sighed, running her hand through her hair, "Of course I do, but I see something even more wrong when a ten year old boy willingly throws himself to the sharks. I can't keep this from the school board, we made the decision to let Riley in this school, and we can just as easily kick him out-"

"Linda the kid already feels like no one cares, he just lost his father-"

"Riley's behavior today is no excuse, whether death or trauma from your accident. Those two circumstances do not condone such behavior, ever! And just because you're suddenly afraid to punish him-"

"Hey! Don't tell me how to be a parent!"

Linda glared at him, "Maybe someone should Ben, he's ten years old, he's not a toddler, bad history or not, you have to at least discipline him, ground him if he does stuff like this."

"And I will-"

She sighed, shaking her head she finally sat down. "According to the rules I have to suspend him."

"Linda!"

She held up her hand again, "He will remain suspended for the duration of two weeks, for provoking a fight, and disobeying a teacher when he was told to stop. You're lucky I don't consider doing more. After two weeks, he can return to school for a probationary period of three months. If a second fight breaks out, he's expelled."

He sighed, now he'd have to stay home too. "At least tell me the other kids are getting the same."

"Two of them yes, one of them was already on a probationary school-actually the one you saw leave, will not be returning to Maryland Academy. One of them was only involved at the very end; we're letting him off with a warning for now."

Ben looked at her, "Right then, see you in two weeks," Ben stated, he stood slowly and headed for the door.

"Ben, for what it's worth…I do actually think you're doing a great job with him."

"Then why the lecture?"

She smiled warmly, "I know boys and girls better than most people. Something is really bothering that little boy out there. Something he's going to need to talk about over the course of the next fourteen days. He needs to know you're going to be firm and set boundaries for him, equally he needs to know that when he makes poor decisions, that you'll still love him. Take a few days Ben; care for yourself and for your son. I'll see you in two weeks."

He stopped for a long moment, "Thank you, Linda."

Opening the door he stepped into the main office and looked at Riley. He had a million thoughts running through his head. How does he discipline a child whose only behavior management has been beatings? Of course the boy could be violent; he'd only ever seen voilence. How do you make the child understand that you're not angry at them, simply their actions? "Let's go." Was all he said, opening the door to the outer office and looking Riley.

The ten year old sighed and stood up, slowly making his way out the door, head hung low, back pack slung off his shoulders. Ben followed the boy out the door to the school, he opened the car door, getting inside, he waited as Riley hooked himself in. "If you're gonna yell, just do it, I hate sittin' in silence," muttered Riley in a pinched nose, clearly his nose still bleeding slightly.

"Not going to yell." Ben promised himself more than Riley. He didn't want to be that father, who only yelled at his son, who berated him for something stupid or dangerous. Ben didn't want to be his father. He wanted his son to understand why fighting was wrong.

Riley sighed and looekd out the window. Ben glanced over at the boy for a long moment, while they sat at a red light. "Why?"

"Why what? Why's the sky blue, grass green? Well the teachers tell me chemicals in the air but I think it was-"

"Riley!" Ben snapped, annoyed at the child.

"Aliens…"

Ben couldn't help it, at that moment he felt his anger dissolve as he chuckled. "God you are a box of trouble sometimes aren't you," Ben drove towards the doctor's office where Wendy spent her spare time.

There was silence in the car for several moments, before Riley spoke. "Did you ever get so angry at the world you wanted to punch something…or someone?"

Ben smiled sadly, "Yeah, the day I found out my grandpa died."

"What did you do?"

"Well like you I spent several days in a pent up anger until I punched a wall. Broke three fingers and a knuckle. Lucky I can even use the damn thing," Ben replied holding up his right hand. Is that what this is about, you're angry over your father's death?"

Riley sighed, he'd put the wad of towels down now, to reveal a most likely broken nose, and blood splattered face and front shirt. "No…yes…I don't know."

Ben smiled softly. "Wanna know something?"

"Sure."

"Being a parent is hard."

Riley chuckled, "So is being a kid."

Ben nodded, "I can imagine. Listen, you've had parents prior to this point, who've only given you bad examples of mother or fatherhood. So I'll try and do better, but sometimes I may get angry and I may yell-"

"Is this one of those times?"

"If you keep interrupting me." Riley smirked, but remained silent. Ben continued, "But I want you to realize something, because I feel if I don't make this clear then this friendship, this father son thing we've got going will be ruined. I'm not angry with you as a person, or disappointed in you as a person. I'm disappointed in your actions, I'm angry at your choice. I still love the boy, and eventually the man inside. Okay?"

Riley looked at him, and nodded slowly, "Yeah."

"Good, now we're going to go to Wendy, have her fix your nose; then we are going home where you're going to spend the rest of the night without a single piece of technology if it means I have to lock you in my bedroom. You'll think about what you did and we'll talk about this later."

"Yes sir," Riley's voice totally dejected at the thought of a night without Super Mario brothers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Wendy looked at the nose and chuckled, "It's not broken, but its definitately cracked. Nice going, Ri. Did you at least give the kid a shiner like yours?"

Riley laughed, as though she were joking, then he became serious, "No, one of his friends missed me and nailed him in the eye."

Ben couldn't help it; he burst out laughing at that statement. Wendy chuckled softly as she looked at the boy and Ben. "Nice parenting skills, Ben," she joked then looked back at the boy. "I can either leave it be or put a couple stitches on the bridge that will hold the wound together and leave it at that."

"Put the stitches on, I don't want to have a scar," mumbled Riley.

"Should've thought of that before you went around throwing your fists at people." Ben commented looking at the boy.

"You realize I get the sarcasm from you, right?"

Ben chuckled, "Noted."

Wendy shook her head, but immediately set to work fixing Riley up, cleaning his face off and putting the stitches in. "So hothead, what did you get for this?"

Riley looked prepared not to answer, but a pointed look from Ben made him think otherwise, "Two weeks suspension."

The doctor nodded, "Right then, well, if you are interested and Ben's okay with it. Frank runs a youth center downtown in his off time; he's got a week of vacation next week. Might do you some good to let out all that pent up emotion."

"I thought the point was to not hit stuff."

Ben smirked, "The point is if you feel you NEED to hit something, that you're hitting something you can hurt, that can't hurt you and won't hit back." Ben looked at Wendy, "That may be just what he needs."

Wendy nodded, "I'll let Frankie know. All right kid, you're all done."

Riley stood up slowly, a little woozie from the day's events. Ben chuckled slightly seeing the boy wobble just a little. Handing him the keys he pointed to the door, "Go start the car, I'll be out in a minute. Don't drive away."

"Yeah right," muttered the kid as he walked out of the doctor's office.

Ben looked at Wendy, "Well?"

"Well what, Ben I'm not your mother, I don't have an opinion on everything," she chuckled as she leaned against one of the cabinets.

"No, but you have an opinion on the majority of stuff."

She smirked, "Tell you what, I always told my kids that when it came to learning it was best if they came up with the solution on their own. So what do you think?"

Ben sighed. "I think I'm a horrible father."

Wendy laughed out right at that comment, "I think you're a wonderful father in a tough situation who stepped up when the rest of the world wouldn't. That makes you an amazing father," Wendy stepped closer, tilting Ben's head up so their eyes met. "But fatherhood is a tricky thing Ben, you must know that by now. Look that boy needs a whole world of love right now. Something is really bothering him, and my guess is it has to do with another father."

"I think I'd like the phone number for that psychologist now."

Wendy nodded and moved over to the cabinet grabbing a prescription pad, "Her name is Rose Thorton, she's young, but very good at what she does. I think you'll find she's quite good at relating to children."

"Wendy?"

"Yes Benjamin," she chuckled.

The man stood up, stepped over to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Thank you for everything."

She smiled, "Benjamin, you're the son I never got to watch grow up. I'd do just about anything for you. Now get goin', you've got an antsy boy in that car."

Nodding, Ben headed out the door, paying on his way out, he then moved towards the car in the parking lot. He could clearly see Riley slumped in the passenger's seat, head against the window. Opening the other side of the car, he got in and started the car up again. "You okay?"

"Headache," Riley muttered

Ben smiled tightly, understanding that and headed towards their apartment. He was hoping in another couple weeks they'd be able to close on the house he'd gone in on. But he hadn't heard anything recently

The car ride home was quiet, mostly because Riley drifted off to sleep at some point during the trip. Ben pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and he glanced over at the boy. In all his bruised glory, Ben knew deep down inside, Riley was more bothered than he'd expected to be by his father's death.

A wave of sadness hit Ben as he thought of his grandfather and father. He loved his dad with all his heart. While the man was occsaionally impossibly difficult, he was still his father. He'd never laid a hand on him, but after years of disappointment, Ben knew his father was utterly human. When his grandfather had died, he's seen his father cry for the very first time.

Ben looked at Riley and smiled warmly, perhaps it was time Patrick Gates me his grandson, and perhaps it was time Riley met his great grandfather. Deciding to call his father and perhaps come visit in the next couple few days, Ben gently nudged his son, "Come on kiddo, we're home."

Riley glanced around and sighed, "Woo, time to go seclude myself."

"You did it to yourself kiddo, come on then." As told to, Riley headed straight to his bedroom, and Ben stepped into the kitchen in efforts to figure out what to make for them.

o0o

Ben sat on the couch later that evening; it was late, probably nearing midnight or one. He'd long since fed Riley and tucked him into bed. So he was a little surprised when the boy stepped into the bedroom clad in a pair of flannel bottoms and a t-shirt that said To be a Wookie on the front.

"Hey, you should be sleeping," Ben figured stating the obvious was easier than pushing the boy away.

Riley came over to the couch, and sat down. He sat there silently for several moments, watching whatever documentary Ben had been watching. Then, to Ben's surprise he scooted over until he was seated tightly against Ben's side. He leaned his head against Ben's chest and closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh of what sounded like relief.

Ben wrapped an arm around the child's shoulders and smiled warmly. Riley was safely on his way to adulthood, and despite his best attempts to act older, he would clearly always be Ben's little boy. Ben pressed his lips to the child's head and smiled. "I love you, and you're a wonderful kid."

Riley slept peacefully for about another hour, before Ben decided it was time to get him and Riley to sleep. He nudged the boy gently, "Hey, time to go to bed," He avoided the thought that he was essentially waking the child to have him go back to sleep.

Blue eyes filled with sleep and exhaustion looked up, and Ben realized there were hints of tears on his face. "Riley, are you okay?"

"You died," Riley whimpered.

"What?"

"Dad didn't die, you did," he whimpered again as he clung to the chest and buried his face in the fabric.

Ben wrapped both arms around him, hugging him tight. Perhaps this was the tip of the iceberg, but Ben was glad something was finally coming out in a non-violent or angry way. "I'm here, I'm alive." He whispered.

Sobs filled the room as Riley cried, Ben just sat there, holding the boy, rocking him gently and whispering to him. He hoped desperately this was the beginning of Riley calming down a little after all the events that had occurred.

Ben, acknowledging that neither one of them would be moving far for the night, moved enough so that he could stretch out on the couch, with Riley curled on his chest. They fell asleep like that, a heartbroken son and a father desperate to give the child comfort.


	6. Chapter 6

Readers :-) I have not forgotten you! Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, I loved this story and writing it. It is finished, I was serious when I said that, we're just without internet at my house and my work place doesn't allow ff . net there, so I can only review when I find the time to go somewhere with internet which is sometimes a challenge. Please be patient I will continue to update!

**Chapter Six**

Riley woke slowly, realizing he wasn't in his bed, he recalled the nightmare and shuddered, because realizing he was sprawled across Ben's chest. Blue eyes staring up at him. "Hi," Ben offered.

Riley looked down at the floor, suddenly shy, "Hi…sorry," he whispered as he began to move away.

Ben held him gently in place. "You are always welcome to seek comfort from me. Don't ever feel like you can't. Want to talk about it?"

The pre-teen sighed, "Just a stupid nightmare."

"Right, so we shouldn't talk about it." Ben offered purely joking.

"It wasn't important."

Ben nodded, "I don't know what I did to suddenly merit the silent treatment, or not talking to me about important stuff, but can I at least have a hint so I can undo it?"

Riley slowly slid off Ben, and sat at the end of the couch, allowing the treasure hunter to sit up and looked at him. "It's nothing."

Ben sighed, "Okay then. Well, go get dressed; we've got a busy day."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going on a drive."

o0o

They sat in the car, with Ben's sunroof opened and the windows down driving along the road, for October it was surprisingly warm, though Riley could almost smell winter on its way. "Ben, you are aware that most kids, when they get into fist fights are grounded, they don't go on drives with their fathers."

Ben chuckled softly, "True, but all children and families are unique."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a little weird?"

"Has anyone ever told you, you're kind of a smart ass?"

"Frequently." Riley replied.

"Ditto," Ben offered, they both smiled softly.

It was a four hour drive; roughly, Ben pulled along a road to an open field and smiled as he stopped the car, "Welcome to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania."

Riley looked out at the fields, he new the history of the Civil War, nearly every kid in his grade would. "There was a time this grass was dyed red, and the rivers ran red with blood. Brother fought brother, father vs. son. Life was easier back then, there wasn't technology, there weren't complications."

"Is everything a history lesson with you?"

Ben playfully pushed the boy slightly, "Shut up and pay attention."

Riley chuckled, but continued looking at the grounds that were now a graveyard for hundres, probably thousands of boys. Ben walked ahead, moving through the grass, smiling sadly, "For four years the battle raged, and when peace finally came, it all ended with one atrocious act of violence."

"John Wilkes Booth."

Ben nodded. "Yes." He looked down at Riley, "Violence begets violence, anger breeds anger. Did you like it when your foster families hit you?"

Riley looked up at him, knowing what the man was getting to, but all the same he shook his head, "No."

"When you have a son, or a daugther, do you want them to know your hand as one of anger and pain, or one as love and care?"

"Love."

Ben nodded, "Anger is a powerful motivator, it hurts, it destorys and it can kill. All you did was get into a school yard scuffle, but do you know where it stops? Riley, there's a lot of anger inside of you, not meanness, don't confuse those two, but anger. You've been dealt some raw deals in the past. If you don't find a release for that, then it'll eat you up."

"What did you do?"

Ben smiled, "You're smart. I studied, not the kind of studying you'd think. I'd spend hours pouring over history books, researching my family's treasure. Until I could barely remember why I was angry in the first place, but that doesn't have to be you. Whatever you decide, choose something that calms you and allows curosity to outweigh anger."

Riley nodded slowly, "When you told me about dad…I cried." Ben didn't reply, they continued to walk through the fields, "I cried a lot, because I was so angry at him. It's not that I don't love having you as a father…it's just…"

"Riley, I understand, you were mourning the loss of a father you lost a long time ago."

"Isn't…" Riley looked down, refusing to cry, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder; he stopped and looked up at Ben. "Why do people have kids if they don't want them?"

Ben shook his head, "Son, I wish I had an answer to your question, but honestly people become parents sometimes for all the wrong reasons, just like people choose to become parents for right reasons. Nobody is perfect and what your father did to you is inexcusable, but that doesn't make him any less your father."

Riley nodded slowly, wiping the tears away from his cheeks. "Thank you," He offered quietly.

Ben smiled, "Always, kiddo."

They walked for a little while longer and Ben was pleased, maybe he'd handle this parenthood thing better than he'd thought. "Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?"

Ben chuckled, "Oh you're totally still grounded, for the next week. We'll see where you're at on Sunday and go from there."

Riley grumbled slightly, "What if technology is my release?"

"Then next time don't hit someone."

Riley chuckled slightly. "They said I provoked him, I really didn't. He called me…he called me a whelp…well and some other colorful language and he called my mother…" He looked up at Ben, "She never did anything to anyone, dying wasn't her fault," He whimpered.

Ben stopped and pulled the boy close for a hug. "I know son," Ben whispered rubbing the child's back. "I know." Ben pressed a kiss to Riley's head and sighed as the child finished with a few sniffles.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I hit him, it didn't make me feel better, it only made me feel worse," whimpered Riley.

Ben nodded, "Yeah, I know that feeling well."

After Riley calmed down a little they wandered back to the car, and Ben drove up the path further. "You're pretty good at this," smiled Riley.

"Flattery won't lessen your jail time kid, but thanks."

The smile didn't fade as Riley continued to look at the fields. Ben stopped at the Edge of Little Round Top. "They call it the battle that turned the war," Ben offered as they got out of the car.

Riley smiled, "South should've won."

"Yes, yes they should've, but it's just proof that a few bad calls can ruin a whole game."

"Sports anologies, you don't even like sports."

Ben chuckled, "I like golf."

"That's not a sport."

"I think Tiger Woods would disagree."

Riley mumbled but continued, "Whatever man."

Ben chuckled softly. "You're a good kid Riley, and you're going to be a very good man, don't let the world bring you down okay."

"I'm trying."

"I know."

"Thanks Ben."

Ben shrugged, "That's what I'm here for."


End file.
